The board of California’s largest urban water supplier voted on Tuesday to spend $141.6 million for a large share of the preliminary planning work on the state’s proposed water tunnel in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. With the decision, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will continue covering nearly half of the preconstruction costs for the proposed 45-mile tunnel beneath the Delta, which Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state needs to protect the water supply in the face of climate change and earthquake risks. “This is about planning for the next 100 years,” said Adán Ortega, Jr., chair of the MWD board. The MWD’s 38-member board decided to approve the funding after heated debate.

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• CBS 13 Sacramento: Major Southern California water supplier approves spending $141.6 million on Delta tunnel project
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